The first time I attended a UC Berkeley women's gymnastics meet, about five years ago, I was blown away by the level of competition. The flips on the balance beam, the flying between the uneven bars - it was the sort of thing I had seen on television. I couldn't believe I was watching this live, so close to home, and for free.

Saturday's meet should be even better. Cal's team is the highest ranked it has been in a decade, and it hosts Stanford, one of the top teams in the nation.

Indeed, the meet will include Olympic talent: Stanford's Kristina Vaculik competed last summer in London, and Rebecca Wing and Shona Morgan competed in 2008, for their native countries of Canada, Great Britain and Australia, respectively.

The teams compete in four events: uneven bars, vault, balance beam and floor exercise, with six to seven athletes from each team in each event.

At any time during the meet two events are happening - sort of a two-ring circus. It gets loud when the music for floor exercises plays and the gymnasts hammer out combinations of handsprings, flips and midair twists - with all the artistic flourishes that make or break a routine.

Likewise, on the vault, you'll see complex moves such as the Yurchenko, said Cal coach Justin Howell. That's a round-off onto a springboard, followed by a back handspring onto the vault and a somersault coming off. On the uneven bars, each routine requires two releases (letting go of the bars) and one transition between bars.

Every home meet at Cal ends with a competition for kids. At the last meet, it was a bear growl contest; in the past, it has often been handstands. During the meet, Cal T-shirts will be tossed into the stands, and after the meet, the Cal gymnasts sign autographs.

Bear fans eighth grade and younger can join the Cub Club for $20, which gets them a season seat on the floor, a T-shirt and an autographed poster. Stanford offers a similar club, Team Cardinal, for $35, which includes a T-shirt, VIP access and more.

Meets last about two hours. Street parking in Berkeley is free after 6 p.m.; limited paid parking is available under the Haas Pavilion. BART is three blocks away.

Can't make it this weekend? Cal and Stanford meet again March 1 at Stanford; that meet is also free to attend. Both teams host a few other home meets this year, and both schools also have men's teams. Check their websites for details; Stanford's is www.tinyurl.com/aw68yj7.

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